6/25/2013

JustAddGinger on Facebook

Hello

Time for another quick update in the world of Ginger. 

This is something I have been toying with for a while, but with GFC about to be taken away, I needed a few different ways to keep everybody who wants to read my blog updated with the latest posts and snippets of news that's going on. 

If you read my last update post (you can find it here if not), you'll know that I am on Bloglovin', so when GFC says goodbye to the world, I will be reachable there, but with Facebook being a huge social networking platform, it seemed logical to make an appearance there too! 

Instagram: @Gingerjax

My new Facebook address is: 

http://www.facebook.com/JustaddGinger 

You should see a thumbnail of the picture above when you search for the page. 

I'll post on there to let you know when any new post goes up from my blog or YouTube channel. I'll also post little bits of news or updates. (I know I've been a bit AWOL lately, but I have had a million things going on, and sometime juggling is a bit tricksy! I'll be having time off soon though, so will be back on a more regular basis.)  

I'd love it of you wanted to head on over to my new page and give me a "Like" to stay updated.

Happy Tuesday Everybody! 

Ginger x 



6/20/2013

Cook with Ginger: Pinwheels

Sometimes when I'm in the mood for baking I look for recipes that are quick, simple, and don't require much thought - especially if I am pressed for time or need to use up an ingredient in particular. 

The other week I was just casually looking through my baking supplies and discovered a jar of mincemeat that was left over from Christmas. It was set to go out of code in July, so I knew I had to use it up ASAP. 

Since we are in June now, I couldn't really justify making mince pies, so instead, I thought about what other pastry-based recipes there are out there. 

I found this recipe for Mincemeat Pinwheels on the Jus-Rol website, and knew I'd be on to a winner. 


This is how the pinwheels turned out. Unfortunately, I suffer from a grumpy old oven, so the recommended cooking time didn't quite work for me, and some of the pastry ended up a bit charred. But the flavour was lovely, and the pinwheels were overall a big success with everyone who tried them! 

With a pinwheel success under my belt I wanted to go for another round using the same recipe, but with a different filling.  Both Boyfriend and I love lemon curd, so I decided to give that a try. I was a bit anxious at first about the consistency of the lemon curd, as it would be a lot more fluid than the mincemeat...

.....But we all need to take risks sometimes!


To be honest I think I used a bit too much lemon curd on my first batch, because when I was making the pastry "Swiss roll" shape, the filling was spilling (oh a rhyme) out of the sides. But it made for a really gorgeous flavour. I did try to bake for less time on these ones, but my oven still decided to take it's bitterness out on my pastries! 

DAMN YOU OVEN!! 

Yesterday I made a second lemon curd batch and used less filling. The construction of the pinwheels went better, but I still got a generous spread of lemon curd across the pastry. Now I just need to work on convincing my oven to not not take out it's frustrations on my offerings.....We shall be having words! 

On this recipe, I think I spent a maximum of £7 for all the ingredients. I bought the pastry on special offer for the lemon curd, already had the mincemeat, and bought 6 eggs, which covered all the batches I did. 

£7 for about 35 -40 pinwheels isn't that bad really!

Ginger x


6/13/2013

Sometimes, we have to change!

As you are probably aware by now....Soon (from July 1st) Google Reader will no longer exist, and this means that Google Friend Connect will be going soon! 



"Nooo!" you may cry. 

To be honest, when I first heard the news I did that too. Although I started JustAdd-Ginger as a hobby, and a means of self-expression and documentations of my ramblings, I've come across some amazing finds on my travels, and appreciate every single one of the post-reads my blog gets. 

As well as GFC, I am also on Bloglovin' (there's a huge button on the right hand side of my blog) if you click on that, it will take you to my JustAdd-Ginger page on there (although I believe I'm signed up as "Just Add Ginger".) Bloglovin' gives you updates on up-to-date blog posts from the blogs that you follow, and you can register your own blog on there too for others to find.

I would love it if you made the quick trip over to Bloglovin' and followed me there! All of the support I get from visitors, readers, and subscribers to JustAdd-Ginger really mean a lot to me!

If you are a blog owner, and not sure about where your followers can continue to get updates on your posts after Google Friend Connect goes, there are some helpful articles to read. 

And for blog readers, you can import blogs that you are subscribed to in to Bloglovin' so that you can keep updated with the latest posts from your favourite bloggers. (There's an article on how to do that too!) 

If you click here , it should take you through to my Bloglovin' page. It would mean the world to me if you continued to follow me over there. My posts usually appear at the end of the week, but as of the end of July,  I am on holiday from work until the beginning of September, so posts will become more frequent. 

And while we're talking of linky-plinkies, here is where else you can find me: 

Twitter: @GingerJaxx
Instagram: @gingerjax
YouTube: JustAddGinger

Do you think having no more GFC will make a difference to keeping track of blogs we follow?

Ginger x

6/06/2013

Polyvore: ASOS Wishlist | Just Add Ginger

Just Add Ginger blog

I have a new obsession....POLYVORE!

The name has always floated around in my brain. But I never really knew what it was. I knew it had something to do with mood boarding, and clothes, and that's pretty much it. Saloca did mention it to me a few months ago when we were talking about clothes, but I kind of pushed the information to the back of my brain because I had just discovered Pinterest, and having too many amazingly addictive things going on at once may have made me explode! (Don't worry though Pinterest. I still love you!)

Maybe deciding to investigate Polyvore 40 minutes before work started yesterday was not the best of my ideas, but I'm so glad I gave it a look-see. I am now officially hooked.

It's such a fun way to collect all of my thoughts and create wishlists and lookbooks for myself.

This "board"/"collage" (is that what you call them?) I created because I am really loving loads of things on ASOS at the moment and wanted to collate all my top-picks together so that I'd remember what I wanted to add to my wardrobe when payday rolls around. I'm loving boho-chic/Indie pieces for summer, and am a sucker for a good summer dress!

6/04/2013

The Living Room, Liverpool | Just Add Ginger


Just Add Ginger


For the past week and a bit, I have been on holiday from work. On Friday night, as a bit of a date-night treat, and to celebrate my final weekend off before I head back to work on Wednesday, I booked a table at The Living Room in Liverpool. I have never been there before, but the name has always floated around in conversations with my friends. After looking at the menu online (and dribbling slightly,) I decided to go for it! 

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I'm one of those impressionable people who is impressed by things easily. The feel I get when I step in to a place for the first time is usually a good indicator of how I'm going to find the inside. So, when I first saw the steps up to The Living Room, and started smiling from ear to ear, I knew I was in for an amazing evening. The entrance to the restaurant was so chic that I honestly wished that I was wearing a top hat, smoking jacket and monocle. And then, to walk in and find that there was live music playing....Oooo....it was like I'd stepped into a foodie dream! 

Even though we had arrived at the restaurant a bit early, we were immediately greeted by a smiley, super-friendly waiter and shown to our table. Looking around, I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was. To quote, my exact words were "I want to live here!" Everything was decorated perfectly. Sometimes, in restaurants, the presentation can be off-putting, but this was amazing, and so sophisticated, Our waiter gave us all the time we needed to sip on our prosecco and think about what we wanted to order. I think he came back at least four times before we had stopped talking enough to actually look at our menus - poor guy! 

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Crispy Duck Spring Rolls

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Black Pudding Donuts

Even though I had looked at the menu before I booked the table, as per usual, I changed my mind when it came to ordering and went for the Crispy Duck Spring Rolls as a starter, which were served with pineapple and plum sauce. Boyfriend went for the Black Pudding Donuts, which were accompanied by a celeriac remoulade.

OH MY GOODNESS!! 

The spring rolls were absolutely divine! Sometimes, I find duck to be a bit tough and chewy, but the duck in these were so tender it almost melted in my mouth. The portion size was perfect for a starter. The presentation was beautiful too, and I almost felt bad for eating the dish it looked so pretty (I love it when food looks like art!) The plum sauce went perfectly with the rolls, and the pineapple added a tangy, sweet finish to the meat. I just smiled all the way through eating this dish, and both me and the man went silent, which I always think is a good sign that you are enjoying your food. I know I can talk for England, so when I'm quiet, it means that I'm distracted by something too fascinating for me to think about forming words. 

I thought the presentation of the black pudding was equally - if not better - than the duck. Having an almost oil paint-like tube on the dish was so innovative! I'd never had black pudding, or celeriac before, and was really impressed with the flavour combination (I snuck a cheeky forkful of both.)  


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Gressingham Chicken Breast

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Sliders

Next, we were on to the mains. The Living Room tweet had recommended that I try the Sliders, because you could pick and mix what you wanted to try, so that's exactly what I did, opting for a TLR Burger, a Pulled Pork Burger, and a Devon Brown Crab Burger (which I was a little anxious about trying....I have a thing about seafood, and we had been talking about Sebastian from The Little Mermaid before we started eating....L-oooo-ng story!) I had a side order of fries with a thyme and rosemary seasoning, just in case the sliders weren't enough to fill up my belly. Boyfriend went for the Gressigham Chicken Breast, which came with garlic mash and chicken crackling (yes - I'd never heard of that either!)  

I needn't have ordered the fries, because the sliders filled me up. It was really nice being able to pick the burgers I wanted to try. I usually "Um" and "Ahh" over menus for ages before deciding what to go for, and somebody has to whip the menu away from me, but with the burgers, I got a sample of different things. I think my favourite was the pulled pork. The apple chutney accompaniment complemented the dish so well and added a touch of sweetness, which I really appreciated. I'm not going to lie. I struggled with the crab. But that's only because of this weird seafood complex I have. The flavours of the burger were lovely, and anybody who is a-ok with seafood I think would really enjoy that one. I just had to have a short break and a sip of prosecco during that one before I could carry on. The TLR Burger was cooked to perfection, and incredibly tender. 

The chicken breast on boyfriend's dish was beautifully tender too. I'm not usually a huge fan of chicken - unless it's a roast - but I was really impressed. The presentation of both our dishes - like our starters - was impeccable, and so inviting. I really liked the way my fries were served in a bucket, and how the sliders came with a wooden skewer to hold all the parts together. It's little things like that that really make me smile when it comes to food. Small attentions to detail are really important, and The Living Room really delivered. 

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Boyfriend's ice cream: Pistachio, Double Chocolate, and Salted Caramel
By the time dessert came around, I was too full to order anything. Boyfriend ordered the ice cream, and went for the pistachio, double chocolate and salted caramel under the recommendation of our friendly waiter. I, of course, regained my appetite when his pudding arrived, so had a few spoonfuls of each scoop. The pistachio and the salted caramel were an absolute delight! I could have happily had more of both of those. The chocolate was lovely too, but I'm not really a chocolate ice cream person. I have nothing against chocolate - we are good friends - but there are other flavours I prefer when it comes to puddings, and I find chocolate a bit too rich. 

During dessert, I did take a look through the cocktail menu, and found that The Living Room have a gorgeous selection of cocktails, and even more exciting, they serve my favourite cocktail of all time! This, I did not know, and it made me really happy to see it there, staring back up at me from the menu with "Come hither" stares. After we settled the bill, we headed over to the bar area to indulge in a few cheeky after-dinner drinks. 

The live music was still going, and it really set a lovely tone in the restaurant. We spent ages standing at the bar, listening to the musicians, quietly singing along, and just having a lovely time! 

To sum up. The Living Room is definitely one of my favourite restaurants that I have visited in Liverpool. The ambience is great, the staff are really friendly and accommodating, and the food is just beautiful! There's something to please everyone, and I seriously cannot wait to go there again.

For more information about the The Living Room, visit:

http://www.thelivingroom.co.uk/